In Franciacorta It's time to celebrate and take stock: the conference entitled was held on Friday, September 13 The Franciacorta Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary, moderated by Simona Tedescodirector of ORat the Auditorium San Salvatore in Rodengo Saiano (Brescia). Objective: to take stock of 25 years of Franciacorta Festival in the cellar, event linked to the meeting, born in 2009 from the clairvoyance of a small group of local winegrowers who were the first to understand the importance of networking.
If the Franciacorta Today it is a brand known all over the world, in fact, it is because the cellars that produce it on the hills of the same name in Brescia have been able to promote the territory from a tourist and economic point of view, placing it seriously at the top of the ranking of the most famous and appreciated wines on the planet. The most recent example? It was chosen during the ceremony of Emmy Awards 2024, which took place on September 15 in Los Angeles, for the final toast with the actors in competition: from Meryl Streep and Naomi Watts to Jeremy Allen White, protagonist of the famous television series The bear.
Franciacorta Consortium: a winning vision
Telling the story of how wine and the land have come together perfectly is Silvano Brescianini, President of the Franciacorta Consortium, who welcomed the many guests present at the conference, recalling that 25 years ago, deciding to open the wineries to the public was an unusual proposition. Today, these wineries practically never close, there are many visitors and initiatives that animate the vineyards, not only during the days of the Festival.
In fact, neither the Consortium, which organizes the Festival among other things, nor the local entrepreneurs have ever rested on their laurels: “We were four companies when the Franciacorta Consortium was born, now there are many more, but we are used to raising the bar of quality more and more, keeping in mind some the key points, First of all: the sustainability” says Brescianini, who adds: “We are farmers, we have the daily duty of to relate to the earth with respect“.
Not just wine, but also cuisine and culture
Besides sustainability, the other constant cornerstone of the brand Franciacorta the essential relationship with his own has remained territory: “With our bottles, we also bring to the world our cuisine, the landscape, the history”, explains President Brescianini, who concludes his positive assessment thus: “If Franciacorta has done what it has done, it owes it to the entrepreneurs, who have been able to manage with professionalism everything that this territory can offer, but also to the local administrations and institutions that believed in a project that, 25 years ago, was anything but obvious.” Suffice it to say that it was born recently Wine tourism movement and that the tastings, at the time, consisted of a glass of wine served on site.
Franciacorta Festival: a story of taste
Who, how Claudio Faccoliproducer and former president of the Consortium, saw the birth of the Festival, he remembers well that in 2000 there were few companies that dealt with Franciacorta: “The Festival was also born to show what was being done on these hills. We wanted to promote “the taste of Franciacorta”.
Also Ezio Maiolinione of the first presidents of the Consortium, confirms the pioneering vision of the team: “At the beginning it was not easy, because we had to know who to turn to. We started with the first Festivals of Villa Lechi in which only locals participated, then, by word of mouth, they also arrived from outside the province. In the meantime, the companies grew and from the first floor of the Villa, the Festival also expanded to the second floor, until we had to block the entrances because there were too many people. There has been a continuous evolution.”
From that moment on, the Festival spread throughout the territory: this year the events organized exceeded 200 and there were 69 participating wineries. Always united, as Maiolini points out: “Without the Consortium there would have been no Festival. The producers work very well and there is a great quality. Some companies, at first, were afraid to tell their story to the public, they were not ready. But today, they are proud to show themselves.
Route of Franciacorta, discovering an entire territory
In other words, something unique is happening here in Franciacorta: the authentic soul of a farmer marries with the desire to grow and always do better. The success of Franciacorta Roadborn with the Festival 25 years ago, is proof of this.
Gualberto Ricci CurbastroVice-President of Strada del Franciacorta, explains it this way: “If the Festival is the showcase of the territory, the Strada acts as a link between the wineries and the events, for a tourist offer that respects the seriousness and rigor that distinguishes this brand. We offer an organic history of the territorywith a common vision.” A vision which also arises from the constant training of all operators.
Over the years, the Consortium's communication capacity has improved: “Today, it knows how to tell its story in a more authentic and less brilliant way than in the past,” he notes. Roberta Milanscientific coordinator subject »Food and wine tourism» BTO- Be Travel Onlife, who adds: “Today’s traveler is always looking for more authenticity and winegrowers have it in their blood.”
Franciacorta Festival, strong roots between past and future
THE Franciacorta Festival in the cellar has, since its origins, retained the characteristic of thinking tomorrow: “It was done here first production of sparkling wine in Italy, an example followed, even copied, almost everywhere,” he recalls Giulio Tosini, Deputy Director of Brescia today. And he adds: “The production, which started as an artisanal one, has become professional and has made the whole Brescia region grow, also transforming what surrounds the vineyards. The Festival is a bit like the Sanremo Festival: it lasts a few days, but its music can be heard all year round.”
It is a land of breathtaking beauty. Everyone who visits it knows it and remembers it with pride. Andrea Barisellineuroscientist and DOVE signature, born in the middle of these hills and returned here after traveling around the world, who thus motivates his choice: “Franciacorta still knows how to offer the beauty of small thingsthe wonder of everyday life. We must not fall into an error of perspective by thinking of a future of growth, but always start from the peasant matrix which reminds us of belonging to the land and to our roots“.
And speaking of the valuation of wine, he adds: “We know how much a product costs, but not how much it is worth. Discover Franciacortaon the contrary, allows us to bridge the gap with those who work the land, know the fight and the commitment it takes to discover the true value of enjoying a good glass of wine,” by acquiring a new awareness.
The future of the Franciacorta Festival? A question of networks
What future awaits the Franciacorta Festival? An increasingly strong network of producers. Roberto Saccone, President of the Brescia Chamber of Commerce, has clear ideas: “The Franciacorta Consortium today produces 12-13% of the exports of the entire province. Thanks to this great contribution, Brescia is no longer just a manufacturing or agricultural industry. Tourism is now the third pillar of Brescia's economy. This is why the Chamber of Commerce created “Visit Brescia” and aims to develop a world tourism project beyond local realities.
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Together we win. It is the synthesis of 25 years of history of Franciacorta Festival in the cellar that came out of the conference. And it is also the path to follow in the future, without ever forgetting our origins.
Info: Franciacorta.wine
